Preston North End manager Frankie McAvoy has suggested that he is going to do his best to improve results for the Lilywhites until he is told that is not going to be in charge of the club anymore.
The Lilywhites suffered a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Deepdale against Cardiff City on Saturday in what was their first loss at home in the Championship since their opening day loss against Hull City. It was a result that leaves Preston currently in 16th place in the table, but they are now just six points clear of the relegation zone and three clear of Cardiff.
Preston had been hoping to show a reaction from the 3-0 defeat they suffered against Nottingham Forest away from home in their last Championship fixture before the international break. However, despite taking an early lead through Sean Maguire, the Lilywhites ended up losing the match in the second period and it is a loss that leaves pressure on McAvoy’s shoulders.
It would have been hoped that Preston could start to climb the Championship table after they had managed to respond to their 2-0 derby defeat against Blackpool last month by winning back-to-back league games. However, the two defeats against Forest and now Cardiff have shown that there is a lot of work still for McAvoy to do.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post, McAvoy suggested that he knows criticism will come his way following Preston’s defeat against Cardiff. While he also insisted that he is going to fight and work as hard as possible to turn things around until he is told he no longer has a future at Deepdale.
He said: "We want to be higher up the table we are 16th with 21 points. Deepdale has been a good place for us in terms of getting points and results.
"I have got faith and trust in the group in there, today is a sore one. We have two games coming up, Middlesbrough on Tuesday night and Fulham back here next Saturday.
"We have to work hard, try and rectify the mistakes and be a bit more clinical going forward.
"I would have hoped to be higher up the table, we are not so I can't make any excuses about it, we are where we are.
"I'm here until such time people say I'm not. I will give it my utmost and my best.. I try and do that every day when I come into work and try and get the players to do that.
"The disappointing part was that we showed a bit of vulnerability when the ball came in the box which hasn't been the case of us.
"I accept the criticism which comes my way, I wanted to win the game but didn't."
The Verdict
This is a really tough period for McAvoy because there have been some Preston fans who have always been doubtful over his credentials to have the job in the first place. Therefore, when the Lilywhites slip up in matches as they did against Cardiff on Saturday, the pressure is always going to mount on his shoulders and that has been the case all season long.
McAvoy has managed to achieve some good results so far this term and the win at Bournemouth was highly impressive. However, there has not been enough of that on a consistent basis and there have been too many games like the one against Cardiff to keep him secure in his position at Deepdale.
It is a difficult job for any manager at Preston to stretch their resources and get the club pushing towards the top-six. However, that has to be the aim for the Lilywhites and McAvoy’s side look short of being able to do that this term. As a result, he will be under constant pressure from supporters and that normally does only lead to one outcome in the end.